The Mission Panaderia in the Time of Tech

In 1968, Carmen Elias moved to San Francisco from Mexico City. She settled into a comfortable job at Bank of America, where the years drifted into decades. In 1993, she decided it was time for a change and opened La Mejor Bakery on 2239 24th Street, just a few paces away from 24th and Mission BART.

The move empowered Elias, but tore her family apart. “They didn’t talk to me for two years,” she said, sliding a tray of pumpkin empenadas behind the glass counter that young students routinely stare at in open-mouthed anticipation. “They thought it was really a bad neighborhood, really dangerous. And it had a bad reputation.”

So for months, cream-filled pastries and buttery cookies took the place of friendly family phone calls. But as the neighborhood started to change dramatically in the past decade, Elias says that her family’s perspective about the bustling panaderia did, too. “Everything has changed because it’s clean. Because of the BART cleanup, more people are coming to my business because they aren’t afraid to walk down the street. They take their time, pass by the store, get a coffee. They feel safe. I see the neighborhood change and I see it growing and I’m very happy.” READ MORE.